Have a vintage Louis Vuitton bag and thinking about replacing all aged vachetta? We've got you covered. In this article, we'll discuss all the pros and cons of buying a brand new bag vs. replacing your aged vachetta leather.

How Much Will it Cost to Replace Vachetta? (2019-2020)

Here are the prices valid for October, 2019. Please be aware that these prices are approximate only. The final prices are to be confirmed by your Louis Vuitton boutique.

Please be aware that the prices can vary from store to store. We still don't know if that's true or not but it seems like even the stores within the same country will give you different quotes.

Anyway, in general, you can expect to pay 50% of the bag's retail price.

That's what we found out after researching the topic

Will Louis Vuitton Replace Handles on Your Item?

Yes, LV does all kinds of repairs. You don't need to replace all the leather elements on your item. If you only need to replace a zipper and one leather piece, that's fine, it'll be cheaper than the price above.

Note that if you need to replace one pair element (e.g. a Speedy handle or a Neverfull strap), most probably the customer service will tell you that you need to pay for both elements.

For instance, a Neverfull strap is $120. They might tell you they will only replace both and you need to pay $240. Don't give in. If you insist you only need one element replaced, they will charge you for just one (and probably replace both).

Nevertheless, I have to tell you that an item with one or two elements replaced looks pretty strange. Vachetta has different color and many lvoers are struggling to get the leather tanned.

Will you Have to Drive to the LV Boutique to Have Your Item Repaired?

Not always but it depends on the relationship with your Sales Assistant. Normally, in the US your sales assistant can send you a shipping label and you can do the whole thing over the phone.

Please be aware that the process is different depending on the country.

How Long Will it Take to Have Your Louis Vuitton item repaired?

As the item is shipped to Paris, the whole process may take as long as 6 months. Normally, it's about 3 months/12 weeks and if you're very lucky, it can take even less.

Buying a New Louis Vuitton vs. Upgrading Your Vintage Bag

Months of waiting and all the hassle... Is it worth it when you can walk in the boutique and purchase the bag right away.

Why do people do repairs?

Let's discuss the pros of repairing a vintage bag.

Memories & loved items

Apparently, the first reason you need to have your item repaired is emotional memories. There are reasons you need to get this exact bag repaired and just don't want a new one.

Lower price

A new Speedy will cost you $1,020. Is there any way to get it cheaper?

Let's say you can buy a vintage Speedy 30 on ebay for $300. It may have ugly dry vachetta and the zipper puller can be torn - we don't care for the vachetta parts as long as the canvas is crack-free. You can then take it in and have all the leather replaced for about $540. The total price of this upgraded Speedy would be $840. It's definitely cheaper than the retail but it'll take months.

Vintage Louis Vuitton Has Better Quality

If you ever heard of the fact Louis Vuitton quality is going down, that's true. Each year there are more and more issues with the canvas Louis Vuitton items. That's the reason a lot of people prefer to buy a vintage bag and upgrade all the leather and hardware elements.

Vintage Louis Vuitton bags have different types of canvas. It's firm and sturdy. It keeps the shape much better than the new one. Last but not least, it's not prone to cracking.

Whenever you're buying a vintage item, the chance of any type of issues apart from the aging leather is very low.

Now we'd love to hear from you!

• Have you had any elements replaced at Louis Vuitton?
• How much was it?
• Would you love to have your item repaired?

Have a great day!